


Bewitched

by xxoceanswavesxx



Series: Nice Guy Adrien the Musical [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akumatized!Marinette, Altho romance isn't really explored in this story, Alya starts off not looking too good here, But she will be redeemed, Chameleon Salt, Chloe is pissed, Chloé redemption arc, Congratulations, Dragonbug!Kagami, Felix is here, Future polyship, It's just implied for the future, Meant To Be Yours, Nice Guy Adrien, Nice Guy Adrien AU, Nice Guy Adrien the Musical, Now featuring Angry Luka, Other, Possessive Adrien, Post Reveal, Reason to Become a Witch, Ugly Heart, Warning you now that Adrien does not come off looking too good here, akumanette, except for Chameleon, ml salt, ml salt au, non compliant with s3, somewhat creepy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2019-11-16 09:54:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18092141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxoceanswavesxx/pseuds/xxoceanswavesxx
Summary: Based off the "Nice Guy Adrien Musical" AU by @lenoreofraven.For once, Lila may not have been lying about something. As all of the weight and stress crashes down Marinette, she finds herself confronting the fact that she's probably cursed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set in the "Nice Guy Adrien the Musical" created by @lenoreofraven (on tumblr).
> 
> Best songs to listen to this to are "Meant to Be Yours" and "Reason to Become a Witch". Playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLfvYl2NwnD-eiGfpzh5oMOH-GKw2Clmb

“ _Your blackened intentions are so obvious._ _I’m not so innocent anymore._ _Why did you change? Unforgettable._ _You are really a bad, bad boy.” - Reason to Become a Witch, NS Yoon-G_

_-~-~-~_

As of late, Marinette has begun to see the irony in her inheriting powers based on being lucky. Not that she never had any doubts concerning the Ladybug Miraculous, but considering the events of the past few weeks, she’s not sure how anyone could connect her to the concept of good fortune.

 

First, there had been Lila. Lila, who promised on her very first day back to make Marinette’s friends and classmates turn against her. At the time, Marinette didn’t take her threats too seriously. She didn’t have time for Lila’s petty little drama and ambitions for popularity, and yet she had to keep a sharp eye in case she tried pulling a fast one on Marinette’s friends.

 

That day came when Lila had to give her mythology report. The girl begged and begged Ms. Bustier to allow her to choose something from Italian mythology, under the excuse that she was “sharing her culture” with the rest of the class. From the way she smirked, Marinette instantly knew she had ulterior motives.

 

“ _Il Malocchio_ ,”  _she said, making her voice tremble, “Or the evil eye. It’s said that anyone who is swallowed by envy will receive a glare of judgment from higher forces and be cursed.”_

 

_Of course, Marinette knows that this isn’t true. She wasn’t 100% caught up on her Italian mythology, but her grandmother taught her that the “cursed” one was the subject of envy, not the one suffering from it._

 

_One glance over at Adrien reminds her to take the high road. And so she suffers in silence._

 

_“And the way to tell if someone has been cursed is…” her eyes fall on Marinette and she gawks. “Oh. My. It seems our class president has had an awful encounter with misfortune.”_

 

_She snorts. “And how can you tell?”_

 

_“Well, I happen to be related to Professor. Occhiodestro, an incredibly respected expert on mythology and witchcraft in Italy. He had me study in his seminar at age ten, and learn how to study people’s auras. And according to my reading, Marinette, yours has been infected with a black eye, the sign of Malocchio.”_

 

_Of course her classmates were quick to start gossiping. Even Alya shot her a concerned glance._

 

_“Thankfully, the means of breaking the curse are easy,” Lila explains, “The first step is admitting to your source of envy. So Marinette, tell us, who is it that you envy?”_

 

_“I’m not envious of anyone,” Marinette spits, “If anything, I’m annoyed you’re dragging me into your presentation to make an example of me, especially without my consent.”_

 

_Lila, of course, was not satisfied with this answer. She pouted and cried, making the class study Marinette with raised eyebrows. Just like when Lila first returned. Only Adrien offered an apologetic smile._

 

_But that wasn’t the end of it. When the class wasn’t looking, Lila went out of her way to arrange for “pranks” to make it seem like Marinette was actually cursed. Tripping more often. Water spilling from above and drenching her. Interfering with girl group activities and rearranging the plans at the last second, making it seem like Marinette “forgot” and then forging evidence that Lila_ did  _sent the text to her and Marinette_ should  _have received it._

 

Looking back on it though, all of that was to be expected from Lila. She’s not even sure why she’s disappointed.

 

But then there was Alya. Story-chasing, stubborn as hell Alya. The same reporter who preached “fact-checking” only to give Lila a pass because her stories were so amazing and gave her another chance to be close with Ladybug. It wasn’t enough that Alya already knew Ladybug, got an interview with Ladybug and even  _worked_ with Ladybug. No, she had to continue posting interview after interview with Lila gushing about her “best friend” with no inkling of self-awareness of what she was doing.

 

And of course, once Lila’s pranks started becoming relentless, Alya started entertaining the possibility that Marinette really was cursed.

 

“ _Ha, maybe that’s why you still can’t confess to Adrien! I’m sure if you just broke the curse like Lila said, everything would be better!”_

 

That comment annoyed her for many reasons. But one was for a reason that, while obvious on the surface, came to be for different reasons.

 

\--

 

She tried desperately hard to fight back the tears in her eyes as she walked away from Master Fu’s. The conversation had been long and hard, but it was time for her to take a real break from being Ladybug. If her trip to China made her realize anything, it was how much more refreshed and light she felt when she wasn’t in constant contact with Chat Noir. And she hated that realization because it used to be the opposite. But lately…

 

Turning into the park near her house, Marinette is cut off with the sudden arrival of the cat hero, plopping down behind her. She doesn’t have to look to know that his face is glowing with a proud smirk.

 

“Princess! Wow, your hair looks so beautiful down!” he reaches forward to touch her shoulder, and she instantly shudders, especially as he gestures to turn her around, “The only thing that could be more beautiful is… you’re crying?”

 

_Great._   _No, this is it. It’s finally time to put an end to this_. Sniffling, she rubs away the rest of her tears, and stares him straight in the eye.

 

“M’lady, what’s the matter? Who did this to you?”

 

“You did,” she says, her voice somehow even. “You made me upset.”

 

His face falters, and he crosses his arms over his chest. “What are you talking about? I’ve done everything I could to make you happy. I’ve been the perfect gentleman! If anything,” he pouts, “ _You’re_ the one who’s upset me. Why can’t you see how ridiculous you’re being? I mean, I love you and you love  _me_. Why do you have to continue to insist on pushing me away?”

 

_Because_  she thought bitterly,  _you’re my third strike out._

 

He wasn’t even supposed to know about her feelings, but of course, Liar Rossi struck yet again. Part of her plan included getting Marinette to spill out her feelings for Adrien by accident, having him secretly listen in on it the whole time. It led to an awkward conversation afterward where he basically rejected her. It sucked at the time, but she accepted it and was ready to move on. The Chameleon incident had already somewhat soured her feelings toward him anyway, so perhaps this was for the best.

 

But then  _the reveal_  happened. A reveal that wasn’t supposed to happen and a reveal that left her caught entirely off guard. It was so much for her to process, and she wanted to sit down as she reconciled the actions of the two personas.

 

His eyes lit up when he realized it was her, and she had no doubt in her mind that he wasn’t weighing the same thoughts as her.  _His_ feelings were reciprocated! So of course, when he went to ask her out  _again_ , he was truly confident that she wouldn’t say no again! They could finally become Paris’ Power Couple, both in and out of the costume.

 

Weeks ago, she never would have thought of turning Adrien down.

 

_“Well, since there’s no secrets between the two of us anymore, I think we can finally make it official, don’t you think?”_

 

_“I don’t think so.”_

 

_The pause that settles over them is the most awkward experience she’s ever had around him. More awkward than her stuttering, more awkward than her fumbling over her words, and even more awkward than her trying to avoid his line of sight as she innocently went about her business._

 

_“I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you right,” he laughs, “What did you say?”_

 

_“I_ said _, I don’t think we should date.”_

 

_“But… you like me.”_

 

_She’s slow to respond to this. “I do.”_

 

_“So then what’s the problem?”_

 

_“The problem is that this all happening so fast.” She frowns. How can he be so calm about all of this? “Now knowing that_ you  _were Chat Noir the entire time, it puts a lot of your actions and behaviors toward me in a new light. And because of that, I need some time to think.”_

 

_“What is there to think about? We’re in love!”_

 

_“Everything!” she exclaims, trying to bite back hot tears. Damn, why did she have to get so caught up like this now? Tikki stares at her with her own tearful eyes, silently begging her to calm down. “W-Whether or not this relationship is right for me, what’s healthy for me… You knew about Lila, all the lies she told and yet never did a thing about it. In fact, you told me to do nothing and insisted that it wasn’t hurting anyone! All the while, she targeted me specifically and threatened me in the bathroom!”_

 

_“But-”_

 

_“Or how about how you treated me after I rejected you,_ multiple times _? I only had to do that because you felt like_ your  _feelings were more important than mine and you couldn’t let it go after the first time! You even sulked during akuma attacks, like when the entire city was frozen over!”_

 

_“But-”_

 

_“And I know you’ve flirted with multiple girls, like Rena Rouge and me before you found out who I was. Which, if that’s who you want to be, whatever. But I don’t want a boyfriend that leads other people on, even as a joke.”_

 

_“Marinette…”_

 

_She turns her back to him, lowering her head. “I don’t hate you. I still really like and care about you. And I know you have good in your heart. You’ve proven multiple times that you’re worthy of the cat miraculous. But that doesn’t make you perfect for me. Sorry Adrien, but I think we’re better off just as friends for now.”_

 

Those hot tears come back in full force, and now she’s hissing through her teeth. “ _I_ rejected you! Multiple times! I told you that I don’t want to be your girlfriend, Adrien!”

 

“You don’t have to keep saying that!” he yells back, grasping her by her shoulders, “I know you only think that because of  _them_! You just can’t see it, because you’re afraid to love-”

 

“No!” she cries, pushing him away, “It’s because I wasn’t interested in you! It’s because I thought you and I weren’t going to work!” Her fingers curl inward and  _god_ she doesn’t think she’s ever shook as much as she is right now. Even with all the years of Chloe bullying her or all the crap Lila’s been tossing her way lately, she’s never felt such rage. “We’re not even dating, and yet look at what you’ve done! I lost Alya and I lost my desire to ever see you!”

 

“Don’t blame this on Alya,” he harrumphs, “She’s only acting that way because you refuse to see reason. I’ve given you so many chances to see the truth, but you’re only refusing to because you’re bored of me or because you’re too lazy.”

 

_Lazy_ ?  _Her_ ? How can he stand there and proclaim his love to her and then go on to say such awful, untruthful things about her? The worst part is that she knows he’ll just expect her to forgive him, or better yet, have  _her_ apologize for how wrong she was for just not putting in the effort for them.

 

The only thing stopping her at this point from cursing his name and telling him to go straight to hell is the fact that she could be targeted for an akuma. If only Tikki were here to back her up.

 

When she finally manages to recompose herself, even just a little, she makes sure her glare is hard and that he sees it. “Stop being so damn selfish. I stopped hanging out with you because you made me uncomfortable. I had no clue what you’d be willing to do and that made me feel unsafe.”

 

He returns her glare, only to falter. Following his gaze, she realizes what he’s so horrified of now.

 

“Y-Your earrings…” he gasps, “Don’t tell me… H-Hawkmoth-”

 

“No. They’re safe. You’ll be meeting the new wielder, whoever they are, soon.”

 

His jaw drops at this, and she has to admit, part of her feels really bad about all of it. It’s not as if she wanted everything to get to this point. “You’re leaving me?”

 

If it hadn’t already, her heart would have broken into pieces.

 

But she’s done pitying him.

 

“I’m not yours to keep.”

 

A moment ago, he was on the verge of tears. It seems he managed to successfully swallow them down though, because now he starts laughing. “So you got bored of being a hero too, huh? God, how  _selfish_  can you be? You’re gonna leave Paris in danger because of a couple of bad days or a silly miscommunication? And after everything I’ve done for you...”

 

All of what he says she knows is just projection. None of it is true. But maybe, she hopes, that by him saying all that, getting it off his chest, he’ll finally stop and leave. Finally, she can be done with this and move on.

 

He sighs, planting his hand on her shoulder yet again. “It’s okay. I know it’s just a phase. But we’re going to get through it-”

 

She lets out a hard screech. “This isn’t a  _phase_!” Taking a moment to wipe away her new tears, she sighs before she begins again. “I did this because I thought you’d leave me alone.”

 

“Bugaboo, you know I could never leave you alone. I’m practically your knight in shining armor. The yang to to your yin. We complete each other.”

 

“Chat, please-”

 

“No! Not until you tell me why you did it and you apologize for making me feel this way!”

 

“What other choice did I have? You broke up one of the most important friendships I’ve ever had, you kept getting in the way of relationships I was trying to build with other people, you keep messaging me from new accounts whenever I block you… what do  _I_ have to apologize for? I’m so  _done_ with apologizing for things that aren’t my fault!”

 

“You have to apologize because  _you_ made me do those things!” he sniffled,  _actually_ sniffled. “I only wanted to treat you like the princess that you were, and make you feel safe.”

 

“I didn’t need you to make me feel safe. I needed you to listen to and respect me.”

 

“And I didn’t need that from you?”

 

“I think that’s quite enough of your obstinance, Chat Noir.”

 

Relief overtakes Marinette as she realizes who that voice belongs to. The new red superhero drops down, standing in front of Marinette and regarding Chat Noir with a hard stare. Judging from the features of the suit, she’s decided to take both Tikki and Longg for this confrontation, even if it’s overkill.

 

“An imposter Dragonbug,” he hisses, “What are  _you_ doing here?”

 

“First off, you will refer to me as Ryukōun,” she fires back, “Second, I’m here by request of the Master to protect her.”

 

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that. She’s  _purrr-fectly_ safe with me.”

 

“Correction, I’m here to protect her  _from_ you. And if you insist on continuing to act the way you are,” she takes a step forward, getting right in his face, “I’ll have no choice but to protect Plagg from you as well.”

 

“You dare threaten me?” he hisses, “I  _earned_ my claws! You’re nothing but a rookie hero that had to use two kwamis to stand a chance against me!”

 

“I don’t need a kwami to stand up to you,” she retorts, “And I’ll have you know between the time you started harassing her and me intervening, I fought off  _four_ akumas targeting her because of the stress  _you’re_ causing her.” She backs off, placing a hand on Marinette’s shoulder and studying her expression. As a calm overcomes her, Ryukōun smiles briefly. Returning her attention back to Chat Noir, however, her frown is back in full force. “This is your last warning, cat.”

 

Huffing, he raises an eyebrow, “How do I know you’re not an akuma?”

 

“Because the only one hurting anyone here right now is you.”

 

No experience in the past few weeks had been as terrifying as seeing Chat’s face contort with such rage as he lunges for Ryukōun. Gasping as he launches himself towards them, she doesn’t have enough time to jump out of the way. Thankfully, the new dragon-bug hero shoves her out of the line of fire. She finds herself frozen on the ground, watching the fight as it breaks out.

 

“Marinette, get going!” Ryukōun shouts.

 

Her first instinct is to run toward her house, but she knows that if things go wrong, Chat Noir will only show up there and refuse to leave. And she doesn’t want to imagine just what he’d do at that point.

 

Where can she go? Where can she be safe? She runs and runs, trying to think of solutions. Tikki once said that figuring out solutions to your problems would keep her from being akumatized, and she’s well aware that she’s pushing her luck at this point.

 

But what solution does she have at this point? And really, hadn’t her luck ran out by now?

 

She stops in an alley, huffing and puffing and shaking. Staring down at the ribbons that used to carry her pigtails, she only barely manages to catch a glimpse of the purple butterfly as it possesses her.

 

“ _Bewitched. I am Hawkmoth. For too long, you have been cursed with responsibility and cursed with unfair expectations. Too many cruel and nasty people have trampled your heart, taking advantage of your kindness, even heroes like Chat Noir. But I can give you the power to curse them back, force them to see the error of their ways. And all I ask in return is for Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculouses. What do you say? Do we have a deal?”_

 

It’s selfish that she would even consider this option. Hawkmoth has hurt countless people at this point, even if the damage was mostly reversed.

 

Even now, being offered what it is she should want, Marinette finds herself cursed with bad luck. Perhaps Lila hadn’t been entirely lying this entire time.

 

She can’t help but laugh. He doesn’t realize it, but Hawkmoth is going to pay.  _All_ of them will pay. Lila for her manipulations. Alya for her disloyalty. Adrien for his false and ugly heart.

 

She doesn’t utter a single word as she allows for the akuma to take over.

 

The process is simultaneously terrifying and liberating. Like a snake, she sheds her previous skin of nervousness, exhaustion and ire. And now, she embraces her new power, and the previous feelings of resentment and bitterness she was previously forced to swallow down. She always had to be the good guy and not let her feelings get the best of her? Well, whoever thought that would pay the price for expecting such a thing from her!

 

Damn, what a weight she had been carrying. She smiles, for what feels the first time after long, hellish weeks.  

 

“ _Hawkmoth, if I may give you a suggestion? Allow me the rest of the evening to plan my attack. By tomorrow morning, Chat Noir will no longer have his miraculous.”_

 

_“That sounds promising. And tell me, what about Ladybug?”_

 

_She smirks. “She’s not going to be a problem.”_

\--

 

Adrien finds himself simultaneously dragging himself to school and also being too excited to get there and confirm that Marinette is alright. Last night’s confrontation wasn’t supposed to end with her disappearing into the night, and him spending all of that time looking everywhere desperately for her. Even when he tried checking her bedroom, there was no sign of her anywhere.

 

The school yard is full of students laughing and chatting without a care in the world. A group of his own classmates, the girls mostly, crowd over Lila, no doubt telling them about her wonderful trip to Nova Scotia she’s going on next week. They practically fawn over every word, and he can’t help but kick himself. If he had done something about Lila all those weeks ago, would Marinette be at his side now?

 

He doesn’t bother to hide the dirty glare he shoots them all. How can they all be so carefree and innocent, while he has to deal with the toil of a stubborn love? Why couldn’t their relationship be as simple and Ivan and Mylene’s, who currently sit at a bench, cuddling and watching videos on their phone?

 

Looking to the left of them, he spots Nino and Alya standing off from each other, deep in conversation. The couple may not have been in the best spot right now, but at least they had each other. He’d do anything to trade spots with them right now, if it meant he got to call Marinette his girlfriend.

 

Dragging himself over to them, he barely manages to mutter a ‘good morning.’ The two of them exchange concerned glances with each other.

 

“Dude, you look like hell,” Nino comments, “Didn’t sleep well last night?”

 

“I had a fight with Marinette,” he answers abruptly.

 

“Oh, Adrien,” Alya sighs, “I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what’s gotten into Marinette lately. I’m sure she’ll come around.”

 

He shoots a smile at the journalist, not sure that it’s convincing. Still, how exactly can he explain to her that Marinette ended up running away the previous evening because of that damn Ryukōun?

 

Nino, on the other hand, doesn’t seem so sympathetic.

 

“You’re still going on about this?” Nino asks, crossing his arms over his chest. “Dude, I think you’ve crossed some serious lines. You’re not just scaring Marinette anymore. You’re scaring me too, man.”

 

“Come on, man,” Adrien laughs, patting his shoulder, “You and Alya know what it’s like to be crazy mad in love, right?”

 

“Neither one of us have ever done the sort of shit you’ve done,” Nino argues, “We’ve always respected each other’s boundaries. Dude, if this is what you’re willing to do just courting her, what are you going to do once you start dating her?”

 

He doesn’t have to say anything for Nino for him to understand that what he just said was a mistake. Adrien didn’t think he had it in him, but he’s sure he just emulated a dirty look befitting of his father.

 

“Are you accusing me of something Nino? Because you’re my friend, and I would hope for better from you.”

 

“It’s _because_  I’m your friend that I’m saying all this.”

 

A silence falls between the two of them, and for once, Adrien isn’t sure what to say. Why, he asks himself, can’t people just let these kind of things go? Why is it that everywhere he goes, someone always finds something to criticize him for? All of them are just like his father, trying to keep him under their control. He just never would have expected this sort of behavior from his own best friend.

 

What sort of friend would do that, especially a friend that hated his father?

 

Shrieks from the girls’ group interrupt them before they can exchange any more words. He looks up at the top of the building and wishes he hadn’t.

 

“I hope you all had a good morning,” a raspy, and yet familiar voice snickered, “Because it’ll be the last time  _any_ of you know good fortune.”

 

_Oh no_.

 

Descending from above the school ground and at the top of the stairs, is none other than Marinette. He  _ought_  to be relieved to see his lady love recovered, but seeing her now, his heart sinks.

 

The most notable aspect of her outfit is the complete starkness of it - there is no trace of color to it, just black and white. The only color that pops out to him are her bluebell eyes, which have now taken an icy tone.

 

The next thing he notices are all the spiked accessories. A choker, two rings on one hand, three on the other. There’s also the dozens of chunky bracelets on her one wrist. Even the witch hat atop her head has spikes at the base of the cone.

 

Her top is a white button up shirt with a camisole underneath. One of the sleeves is rolled up to her elbow, threatening to drop, while the other hangs freely at her wrist. The hem is curved at the bottom, and hangs freely over her black biker shorts, cut off just a bit over the knee. Underneath the shorts are a pair of black and white striped leggings. To finish it all off, she dons a shiny pair of black military boots, taking powerful, marching steps down the stairs.

 

With all eyes on her, her face breaks into a grin. A wicked grin that he’s only ever seen in his nightmares, and it’s enough to break his heart. Who could have done such a thing to his lady, his princess?

 

“M-Marinette?” he barely manages to say.

 

Her smile disappears, replaced only with a hard glare. No, this can’t be his Marinette!. His Princess, his Lady was too smart, too strong, too  _good_ to be tainted by that Hawkmoth! Oh, if only that Ryukōun hadn’t gotten in his way! Strong, protective arms would have been wrapped around his lady, gentle fingers ready to shed away her tears, and his lips, always ready to bless her with thousands of kisses, silencing her fears with a gentle whisper.

 

And despite this information, he can’t help but tremble under the gaze of his possessed love.

  
“I am not Marinette.  _I_ am Bewitched,” she says, “And to those who cursed  me…” her gaze falls upon Lila, then back to him, and that wicked smirk of hers returns, “Well, allow me to return the favor.”


	2. Chapter 2

_“You trampled on my love and laughed. You clung on to a foolish love. The reason I became a witch, the reason why I’m cursing you… Hurry and run away, I’m a girl with a gun” - Reason to Become a Witch, NS Yoon-G_

 

-~-~-~

There’s something exciting about sitting on top of the academy rooftop, despite Bewitched being used to running and swinging over the city all the time. Right now, she bides her time and can appreciate just how small and ant-like everyone looks from this perspective. It reminds her that the problems of her past life will be just as petty and meaningless after her plans come to fruition.

 

The students flood the schoolyard, none of them the wiser about what’s to come. She waits until all three of her potential targets enter the area - Adrien rushing in last and going over to Alya - and while doing so, charges up a red energy into her left hand. In the meantime, she overhears a glimpse of the conversation that they have, including a few moments where Nino actually called Adrien out for his behavior.

 

_Hm. Perhaps I’ll spare him a cruel fate._

 

Once ready, she points her fingers like a gun in Lila’s general direction and fires.

 

All of the girls surrounding the liar - Rose, Juleka, Mylene and two girls from another class - shriek at the sight of Lila getting blasted. Sure enough, all of the attention now comes to Bewitched.

 

“I hope you all had a good morning, because it’ll be the last time any of you know good fortune.”

 

She allows for a few moments of collective gasps and hurried studying of her new form. No one, it seemed, could believe that it was actually _her_ standing there above them. Even Lila, still frozen from her blast, has her thoughts immediately betrayed by her facial expressions.

 

But from high above, all of their judgments and stares mean nothing. It’s only fair considering she apparently meant nothing to them when she was a good and fair princess. The only expressions she finds intriguing, are the ones realizing just how much they messed up this time.

 

“M-Marinette?”

 

She practically rolls her eyes at the sound of this name. _Damn, did he always sound this annoying_ ? She glowers at the pathetic, wannabe knight, and dictates, “I am not Marinette. _I_ am Bewitched. And to those who cursed me,” she pauses to cast venomous glances at both Lila and Adrien, giving her a glorious moment of seeing the two squirm, “Well, allow me to return the favor.”

 

The burst of red energy cackles around Lila, and the liar is forced to turn her entire body toward Bewitched. Her mouth and hands tremble, and she looks like she’s on the verge of tears.

 

“P-Please, Marinette,” she begs, “I-It doesn’t have to be like this!”

 

“Oh, it’s too late for that,” Bewitched cooes, “You can’t simply return to this school, lie to everyone, and then threaten me in the bathroom for not following your lead. And painting me to look like the envious one?” she clucks her tongue, “That’s just tasteless, _Lie_ -la.”

 

Yet another collective gasp erupts across the schoolyard. All of the girls that just moments ago, were fawning over the Italian, are now studying her with raised eyebrows. Bewitched isn’t so pompous as to believe that the girls realize the lies all on their own. No, she predicts Lila’s next actions quite easily.

 

“That’s not true! I never lied!”

 

Bewitched can only laugh as she says her line, word for word. What a predictable turn of events.

 

By this time, Alya already has her phone out and is recording the entire interaction. _Excellent_.

 

“I’m not sure I really believe you. So, allow for me to fix that.” The red energy around Lila flares brighter than before, blinding anyone who stands too close to her. The girl group has all evacuated at least twenty feet away from the Italian. “Lila Rossi, you are now cursed to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth. Anytime you try and speak a lie, you will choke on your own words until the truth comes out.”

 

The red flash dissipates, leaving Lila only with a red symbol on her forehead - the Chinese symbol for “cursed”. When she realizes this, her hands race up to cover it.

 

“W-What did you do to me?”

 

“Excuse you, I’ll be asking the questions around here,” she scoffs. God, how did none of these people get sick of Lila’s whiny, cowering attitude all the time? She proclaims to be related to top martial artists and bodyguards, not to mention _a superhero_ whose position she inherited, have secret training, but oh no, _someone come save her, please_! People actually eating this up though and not getting tired of all the bragging is the most tragic part. But after today, that will change. Smirking, she crosses her arms over her chest, hiding her hands so as to gather more energy. “Tell me, Lila. Have you really met Ladybug?”

 

She lets out a breath. “Oh, of course I have. We’re best frie-” The gagging is immediate and her hands drop from forehead to around her throat. Some of the girls that ran away earlier, are now back surrounding Lila, trying to help her stand up.

 

“Marinette!” Rose squeaks, “Make it stop! You’re hurting her!”

 

“She’s only hurting herself,” Bewitched shrugs, “If she’d only tell the truth about her relationship with Ladybug, then it’ll stop. So Lila, tell us the truth. When did you really meet Ladybug for the first time?”

 

The panting slows down a bit, but tears still form in the corner of the girl’s eyes. Honestly, is her pride and reputation so important that she would refuse to tell the truth? How pathetic. Hawkmoth honestly chose to akumatize _this_ girl twice?

 

“A-At the park…” she gasps, “It was m-my first day… here… I was with… A-Adrien. S-She got mad at me… for lying about her on Alya’s blog.”

 

The liar collapses to the ground, clearly trying to keep herself from retching. Satisfied with her response, she turns her attention to Alya and Nino. She almost frowns when she realizes that Adrien is long gone, and doing a quick scan of the courtyard, Chloe, Kagami and Felix are also gone. _We’ll just have to fix that, won’t we?_ she notes, feeling the warmth of her energy charged finger guns.

 

“Well, did you get that, Ladyblogger? It turns out the whole time you were reporting about Lila and Ladybug’s legendary friendship, you were getting played for a fool the entire time. Someone who refuses to fact check and blindly believes that they’re right and yet gets fame and attention for it is just asking to be cursed.”

 

Before anyone can object, she fires the red beam at Alya. For good measure, she also fires a pink beam from her right hand at Nino. The couple exchange a horrified glance, trying to move toward one another, but Bewitched will not allow it.

 

“Alya Cesaire. You are now cursed to be wrong about everything. Every decision you make, every word you utter, whether you mean it to or not, will be incorrect. No one will ever be able to take you seriously again.”

 

Again, the light disappears, and the symbol appears on her forehead. Satisfied, she then turns to Nino.

 

“As for you, Nino Lahiffe, I’ve decided to spare you. You could have done better at defending my honor, but you at least tried, unlike a supposed best friend of mine. I’m willing to give you a second chance as one of my familiars.”

 

The pink light overtakes him and transforms him. His outfit converts from his usual street wear, to all black attire. Jeans, shirt, jacket… his glasses are now sunglasses, and his cap is on backwards, with cat ears present. A bit cartoony for her tastes, but it works with her general aesthetic. The chain belt tail is a nice touch though.

 

“Marinette, stop this!” Alya shouts, trying to run toward her. She only trips over her feet. Sitting herself back up, she clears her throat. “I know that this is just a ploy to get everyone to turn against Lila! There’s no way she’s lying!”

 

If she hadn’t already been akumatized, Bewitched would have predicted a butterfly being sent her way by now. Thankfully, the students in the courtyard below all see reason and merely shake their heads at Alya’s words. It feels so nice to finally be believed for once.

 

That doesn’t mean she’ll spare them all.

 

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to have a few more familiars at her side.

 

Some of the students start running away, so she needs to be quick in her decision making. Marc Anciel starts running toward Nathaniel. He is one of the few people to not buy into Lila’s pack of lies, and actually seems grateful for her help. He's lacking in the self-confidence department, but that’s easily adjusted. When the pink beam hits him, his outfit becomes not too dissimilar to that of Nino’s, though his cat ears are sewn onto his hoodie.

 

Aurore Boureal stands in front of a classroom door, ushering other students inside. How noble and brave. The two of them hadn’t interacted much, but Bewitched always sort of liked Aurore, and could relate to her. She knew what it was like to have to juggle so many activities and responsibilities, and how draining it could for no one to appreciate her best efforts. What a fitting candidate for her familiar.

 

Aurore’s outfit maintains the shape of her dress, but also gives her a pair of shorts and plain stockings. She owns some fishnet gloves, cutting off at the knuckles and a cat ear headband. The parasol she so iconically carries is black with white cat heads, and she uses it to close the classroom door, before pointing it at students that dare try to approach.

 

Most of the students are gone by this point, even Alya and Lila who are now free to move about. Still, she doesn’t want to settle for just any old people to serve as her trustworthy familiars - they _have_ to be worthy, unlike that troubling Chat Noir. Her eyes fall on Juleka, and sure enough, the goth girl is now a part of her pack. Perhaps she believed Lila’s lies as well, but she was also Luka’s younger sister - she could afford to show a little mercy in her case. Not to mention that her outfit is already perfect for a familiar, so she just gains some cat-themed accessories.

 

The effects of Alya’s curse are to her benefit, though, Already, Bewitched sees her ushering everyone into the classroom. Honestly, did she think that would be an ideal location? From the look on her face, that doesn’t seem to be the case, but Bewitched isn’t complaining.

 

She commands her familiars to go forward.

 

\--

 

An essential lesson in any form of martial art is self-control. Competitive matches could get heated, but a practitioner always held back a certain degree of power and force in their attacks. It was the difference between fierce competition and bloodsport.

 

Even as Riposte, Kagami has never wanted to throttle Adrien as violently as she does now, ignoring all of the rules of competition. The only thing holding her back at this point is Felix’s pointed glare at the clueless Agreste. And even that is only helping a little.

 

The three of them are panting furiously, trying not to gag at the odors radiating in the sewers. Her only wish at this point is for Luka to meet up with them, and for them to find all sort of shelter to come up with a plan to properly save Marinette.

 

But for now…

 

“Congratulations, Adrien Agreste,” Kagami scowls, “You’ve managed to make one of the kindest, most hard working girls in our entire school into the most vengeful akuma Hawkmoth has ever created. I thought Chloe Bourgeois was reckless with her bullying, but at least she attempted to change her ways. You on the other hand…”

 

“You’re on a whole new level of stupid,” Felix adds on, “Did you honestly think that Marinette was going to want your pushy, obsessive behavior in a relationship? You know better than anyone that she hates bullies.”

 

“I’m not a bully!” he objects.

 

“Oh? Then what would you call yourself then? A hero? No, I don’t think you’re worthy of that title anymore,” Kagami barks, “You know if it were my decision to make, you wouldn’t even have that ring anymore.”

 

His eyes widened. Even Felix couldn’t contain his surprise at the statement, his hands shaking.

 

“You mean to say… that this obsessive, entitled _doormat_ of a human being… is Chat Noir?”

 

“Y-You’re not supposed to know that!” Adrien exclaims, “H-How did you-”

 

“I had my suspicions, but your reaction confirmed it. Not to mention, when Ladybug decided to take a break, her reasons and story was awfully familiar to Marinette’s,” she sighs, “That means you went to that journalist girl and made her write stories and articles trying to get you two to date…”

 

_Oh god._ Images of Marinette scrambling across the school yard, plastering fake smiles, attempting to keep her voice even and level, anxiously reading from her phone only to hide it from the three of them… screw keeping her composure, Kagami wants nothing less to vomit then and there. Just what the hell snapped in this kid’s mind to make him act out the way he did?

 

For a moment, she weighs the idea that maybe she might be at fault. Had she tried veering Adrien away from Marinette on the ice skating date, might this all have been averted?

 

_No_ , she reminds herself. It doesn’t matter the reason for his obsessive behavior. It’s still wrong. She glances over at Felix to remind herself of that. He’d point out just how irrational that all was.

 

Neither her nor Marinette were responsible for this _temper tantrum_.

 

She’s not sure how he managed to do it, but Luka has somehow managed to find them in the sewers, and leaps over to them. He’s completely winded, and Kagami can’t help but wonder just how far he had to run to get here. The fact that he made it here so quickly too doesn’t do much to ease her anxieties, either.

 

“What did I miss?” he asks in between breaths.

 

“Apparently, Mr. Model Behavior here is actually Chat Noir,” Felix scowls, “And not only has been playing the part of the Nice Guy to Marinette as a civilian, but also as a so-called hero. Hence, our current situation.”

 

Luka is one of the softest, most gentle souls Kagami has ever known. From time to time, she teases him about this, and her and Felix would refer to Luka and Marinette as cotton candy or marshmallows for their sweet and silly behavior.

 

But Luka once admitted to having a bit more impulsive, and angry side. This was as a result of him having problems using the right words to speak. He often kept this in check through meditation and his music. When he felt like screaming, he listened to Jagged Stone or heavier music and just let it all out. He worked hard to keep it under control and Kagami never would have suspected his problem unless he told her about it.

 

The flash of anger that races across his eyes is still a surprise to her.

 

“What the hell were you thinking, Adrien?”

 

“Woah, take it easy there-”

 

Luka slamming his hand across the wall is enough to make them all collectively jump. “Shut _the hell_ up. Don’t tell me what to do. You didn’t take it easy on Marinette when you decided to ruthlessly pursue her into being your girlfriend. You remember that day at the ice rink?” The scowl in the back of his voice starts to dissipate a bit. Kagami can’t help but wonder if Luka is actually on the verge of tears from everything. “I told Marinette to go after you, not because I wanted her to, but because I thought it would make her happy. I cared about her a lot, but I knew for a fact that she wasn’t mine to control. Knowing that you went out of your way to hurt her for your own selfish purposes…” he looks away, his voice faltering, “Damn, you really know how to sicken a guy.”

 

“You’re just jealous that she confessed to _me_ and not you,” Adrien retorts.

 

“As I recall,” Felix interrupts, “ _You_ rejected her. It seems you were only interested in her once you found out she was Ladybug.”

 

Luka lifts his face up and regards Adrien with an even harder glare. “ _What_?”

 

“ _Enough_ ,” Kagami scowls, rubbing her temples. After this entire situation was fixed, she was going to get herself a nice pot and a half of tea to alleviate the headache she was going to have. “This isn’t going to get us anywhere. _Adrien,”_ she spits, regarding him with a cold glare, “You and I will go and get Chloe. Luka and Felix, I’m leaving this with you.” From her inside jacket pocket, she pulls out the snake miraculous, “Only use it if you have to. See if you can calm Marinette down from her emotional state.”

 

“I should be the one to go to Marinette,” Adrien mutters, trying to get away.

 

“Marinette is looking to give you the worst curse she can muster,” Kagami points out, “Going in without backup is the dumbest idea you have, and you’ve had plenty of those today.” The boy has the nerve to pout, but she fights back the urge to retort any further. “Luka… are you going to be alright?”

 

His eyes are closed, and he lets out a breath. She knows that later he’ll probably be blasting Jagged over the Seine, but with Felix gently touching his shoulder, Luka sighs and let’s it go. “I’ll be fine. If we can just help Marinette... “

 

“We’ll manage something,” Felix says assuredly, “Hurry up and get Queen Bee. We’re going to need all of the help we can get.”

 

Longg and Tikki pop out of her pocket, only giving her a silent nod of agreement. With everyone on the same page, the two groups split up, and Kagami only hoped that Chloe managed to keep herself hidden away from Bewitched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, there's now another chapter of this. IDK how many chapters there will be overall, but there will definitely be a third and fourth chapter. Probably also a fifth, but I'm not 100% sure.
> 
> Just some sidenotes:  
> 1\. Fingerguns might seem pretty lame as a weapon, but it's actually another shout out to the "Reason to Become a Witch" video. As noted in the lyrics I used as a preface for this chapter, she sings about being "a dangerous girl with a gun". In Yoon-G's choreography, both for the video and live, she does this bit where she points her fingers in the shape of a gun (one time is with both hands, and the second time is just one). I chose red and pink to represent her powers, because those colors are her signature colors as Ladybug and Marinette respectively. Red is a more aggressive and bold color, whereas pink seems a bit friendlier.
> 
> 2\. Why the cat familiars? A couple of reasons. One being that, again, black cats are usually the familiar of witches. Two, Yoon-G wears a cat hood in the video, and I wanted that to be referenced somewhere (though I went with hoodies, headbands, etc because it just seemed more like what those characters would wear). Three, it's a jab at Chat Noir (that might be obvious) and four, it's a reference to the back-up dancers that get summoned to life in the video.
> 
> 3\. Remember how last time I said that this takes place in an alternate version of Season 3? Well, some of the leaks for season 3 are going to be present here. Which is why Felix, Viperion and kwami fusions are present.
> 
> 4\. Since I didn't plan on this being multichapter, I'm going to have to explain the relationship Marinette, Felix, Kagami and Luka all have at some point, which I might do in a prequel of sorts. Basically, Felix transfers into the school sometime after "Chameleon" and he ends up in Mendeliev's class, and Marinette ends up getting close to all three of them after she's rejected by Adrien. Kagami realized that Marinette was not the girl Adrien was initially talking about, so her and Marinette are friends, especially after bonding over their dislike for Lila's lies. Felix isn't impressed either, and Luka always had a bad feeling about her, so things just kind of worked out. Oh, and all of them are supposed to be Marinette's love interests (we're going for a polyship because why not?)
> 
> 5\. The songs for this chapter are once again "Reason to Become a Witch" but also "Congratulations" which is a cut song from Hamilton. I think Kagami, Felix and Luka would all take turns ripping into Adrien here.
> 
> 6\. The Chinese symbols being used as a part of the curse is to tie Marinette's akumatization to both sides of her family. On her father's side, there seems to be a bit of a fairytale/magical theme going on. Her great-uncle is the only one on her mother's side that has been akumatized, and so far, there doesn't look to be an episode for Marinette's mom. Still, I thought it would be nice to actually acknowledge her Chinese heritage.
> 
> Next time: we get Chloe's reaction to the whole thing, and Luka and Felix find Bewitched and her army of familiars.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's number: Ugly Heart by GRL

“ _And I wonder does it blow your mind, that I'm leaving you far behind? I wonder does it stop your heart to know you're not my sunshine anymore?_ ” - Ugly Heart, G.R.L

 

The bee signal is already glowing up in the sky, and Chloe, oh so patiently, keeps an eye out for her heroine in the sky. Ever since Heroes’ Day, Chloe has longed to take up the mantle of Queen Bee yet again, and has had to make do with “heroics IRL”. Mostly, she tried to just stay out of everyone else’s way, even that lame old Lila, who bragged endlessly about her oh so _wonderful_ life but also complained about having every other injury on the planet.

 

But the moment she saw Dupain-Cheng flock down onto the school below as the latest akuma, she very discreetly made her way out of the school and back to the hotel roof. Granted, she had to use _ugh_ public transportation, but thankfully, she made it safe and sound.

 

During that time, she kept her eyes on the news regarding the akuma. Apparently, Dupain-Cheng was going by the name _Bewitched_ , was either cursing or brainwashing people into being her friends, and particularly had it out for Lila, Alya… and Adrien.

 

She tried to pay no attention to the drama that was unfolding around her at school, but of course, that busybody Cesaire wouldn’t stop gossiping about it. And oh, how Chloe couldn’t resist gossip. So she knew pretty much inside and out the… complicated status between Adrien and Dupain-Cheng concerning their “relationship” or lack thereof.

 

Now, she was well aware of her past with Dupain-Cheng. Chloe bullied her for years, and the two pretty much never saw eye to eye on most things. This past year in particular, the baker’s daughter had been pushing back against her real hard, forcing Chloe to either back down, or try to up her game and fail. There were also times when she actually went out of her way to help Chloe, much to her confusion. So at this point, Chloe decided that it just wasn’t worth antagonizing the girl anymore. She would simply stay out of her business and focus on being a better Queen Bee for Ladybug and Paris.

 

There was also her own complicated friendship with Adrien. Ever since he started attending the school, he hadn’t been nearly as tolerating of her like when they were kids. He even threatened to break off their friendship after pulling off a prank on Dupain-Cheng. She didn’t want to admit it, but she knew she had that coming. But she also knew that if she didn’t go out of her way to start trouble, he’d recognize her as a better person and want to be friends again. And she couldn’t afford to lose any more people in her life, not like how she nearly lost her mom.

 

The drama still bothered her, of course, but only because the solution was simple - Adrien needed to stop being a dolt and leave her alone. Find someone else.

 

She scowls at the thought. Of course, he already tried that, and he tried it with _Lila_ of all people. Ugh, recalling Lila’s nasally, love-dovey voice as she spoke of her new _amore_ , it made Chloe want to pour bleach in her ears.

 

Thankfully, that didn’t last long, but the soap opera of a non-relationship continued. But still, Chloe chose not to intervene. It wasn’t her business, and she’d only make it worse. And so, she stuck to doing little things with Sabrina and left it at that.

 

Seeing Bewitched descend on school property for the first time, she started to think that maybe that was a bad idea.

 

The sound of footsteps landing behind her gets her heart racing, and a smile widens across her face, temporarily erasing her fears.

 

“Ladybug! You’re finally-”

 

Her smile immediately fades when she sees the two figures, and none of them are Ladybug. Chat Noir stands, looking annoyed at having to be there with them. _Ugh, the nerve! I’ll show that overgrown furball!_

 

The girl isn’t Ladybug, but she clearly has the ladybug miraculous, merged with the dragon. But she isn’t Dragonbug either - her hair is too short, her eyes are a different color, and she doesn’t regard Chloe, her Queen Bee, with quite the same warmth that’s traditional of her hero.

 

Chloe knew of the rumors that Cesaire had  been posting on her little blog, that Chat Noir had desperately been pining for Ladybug for so long, but she insisted that their relationship needed to stay professional. Someday, it said, they would be official.

 

Not that she believed they were true, but she can’t help but be suspicious that it had something to do with her not being here right now.

 

Or it’s nothing. Chloe just wants to know where _her_ hero was.

 

“You’re not Ladybug! Where is she?

 

“There’s been a complication,” the new Dragonbug states, “I’m standing in for her now.”

 

“Well that’s just great,” she retorts, “Dupain-Cheng gets akumatized into one of the most powerful villains we’ve come to face, and Ladybug isn’t here!”

 

“You can blame this one for that,” new Dragonbug sighs, pointing to Chat Noir. He doesn’t even bother acknowledging Chloe with a glance, tapping his foot on the ground, and looking at his wrist as if he had a watch. To be fair, she isn’t the only one unimpressed; the new Dragonbug looks ready to clock him as well. “If he hadn’t decided his feelings were more important than respecting his partner and doing his job-”

 

“Marinette and I were in love,” he argues, “If it weren’t for everyone else-”

 

“Wait, wait, wait,” Chloe interrupts, “Blame Chat Noir for what? Getting Dupain-Cheng akumatized? Or Ladybug leaving? Or… _You_ and Dupain-Cheng in love? What about Ladybug? What about that video on the Ladyblog?”

 

Something doesn’t quite add up here. About a day or two ago, the Ladyblog thought it’d be _terrific_ news to share a video of a fan secretly recording Chat Noir profess his love to Ladybug. Chloe had no idea what that had to do with fighting Hawkmoth or anything important, actually, but the reactions were intense. Everyone at school the next day was passionately discussing how they wanted Ladybug and Chat Noir to just get together already. Apparently, “LadyNoir” was the number one ship in the class just after “Adrinette”

 

 _Ugh_ , she wrinkles her nose, _who came up with these lame nicknames?_

 

She wanted to comment that posting such a silly story in what was supposed to be a well-respected news source was downright dangerous, but she knew she looked like a hypocrite.

 

And so she stayed quiet about that too.

 

Maybe, for once in her life, opening her big mouth might have actually proven useful.

 

“There’s no way that this is just a coincidence,” Chloe points out, “Ladybug isn’t here when Dupain-Cheng is akumatized. Both of them were dealing with stubborn suitors that couldn’t take a hint… unless…” She shakes her head at the possibility, but voices it anyway, “There’s either some sort of conspiracy going on around here, or those two are exactly the same. Which means that Chat Noir is...”

 

She locks eyes with Chat Noir, and regrets it the moment that she does. Without the cat ears, the glowing green eyes, he has to be-

 

“Yes, it’s me,” he sighs, “Marinette is Ladybug and I’m Adrien.”

 

“I suppose we’re just telling _everybody_ now,” the Dragonbug groans, “All that’s left is telling Rena Rouge and Carapace, _if they haven’t been caught by now_.”

 

There’s not enough time to sit and process everything, so Chloe decides she will deal with Dupain-Cheng being Ladybug later. That’s not what bothers her.

 

“You hurt her,” Chloe says, still holding Chat’s gaze.

 

“ _You_ hurt her,” he argues, “All I’ve ever wanted to do was defend her.”

 

“Well, you sure did a shitty job of doing it, Adrik- Adrien,” she scoffs, “Yeah, I hurt Dupain-Cheng a lot over the years. Gave her hell for the hell of it. And I always thought _I’d_ be the one that end up getting her akumatized. But you…” she bites her lip, looking away. Ugh, she doesn’t want tears. It’s going to mess up her mascara, and that’s not a good look for Queen Bee. “You were supposed to be the better one of us two.”

 

“There is no _us_. I only love Marinette, Chloe.”

 

“That’s not what I’m talking about, and you damn well know that!” Chloe retorts, “You know what? Maybe I don’t know how to be a good friend. And I thought being a better person meant keeping myself out of other people’s business. What the hell did I know?”

 

The tears that threaten to spill are hotter now, and she has to look away to rub them away. Dragonbug’s sympathetic glance burns at the back of her head, and Chloe can’t help, for once, feeling sorry for her. This is supposed to be a simple retrieval mission, and by this point, Chloe should have already transformed.

 

“There’s two things that I know,” she finally says, making her voice even. No one is ever going to hear her crack. “One, is that while you’re a gorgeous, pretty boy, your insides are rotten to the core, just like me. Takes one to know one, I suppose. But two, Adrien, _darling_ ,” she looks back over her shoulder to stare at him, “Is that I’m going to be the hero Ladybug… no, _Dupain-Cheng_ chose to trust. The one that you’ll never get to be again.”

 

He has the audacity to scoff yet again. “You’ll never-”

 

“ _Shut_ up,” Dragonbug yells, tossing the comb to Chloe, “We have work to do. If you’re going to prove yourself to your hero, Chloe Bourgeois, you better get going.”

 

Pollen’s sweet greeting is the only thing that manages to ease her heart for a moment. Following her transformation, she follows the other two heroes off the roof and down into the city.

 

 _Hang on, Ladybug_.

 

\--

 

He’s not the sort to mind silence. Luka finds silence to be beautiful, just as any note he strums on the guitar, or the river of the Seine running below the houseboat, or the song of someone’s soul being happy and airy.

 

And while Felix is the stony, stoic type, he’s never minded passing silence with him. There’s an understanding between the two of them that allows for quiet to be comfortable, rather than awkward.

 

This is the first time Luka has ever dreaded the silence.

 

He’s only glad that Felix is here with him, because he isn’t sure he could bear it otherwise.

 

Well, Sass, the snake kwami is also there with him, hiding in his pocket. Every now and then, as he’s running, he can’t help but study the bangle that sits on his wrist, and hope that it’s going to be enough to help calm Marinette down. He doesn’t want to fight her, but according to what Sass told him, the power he grants won’t physically harm anyone.

 

They resurface onto the streets of Paris, with almost no one out and about. He takes a quick scan to make sure that they’re safe to move about. Marinette is almost certain to be heading to Le Grand Paris in pursuit of Chat Noir and Queen Bee, but from what Felix told him about her powers-

 

“Where could she be?” Felix muses, interrupting his trail of thought. “Kagami would have told us if she was already at the hotel. And Adrien is the only other person she’d be going after to curse…”

 

“What if she’s looking for more allies?” Luka points out, “What if she’s looking for-”

 

An approaching shadow from behind him makes him jump and turn around.

 

“Us.”

 

In most of the media coverage he saw of Marinette, she was either smirking or condemning the object of her rage with a single glare. The sound in her heart was pretty similar to when they first met, and the time he cheered her up before going on their ice skating date. But it’s far angrier. He hears more shredding guitar and heavy pounding of drums.

 

That sound instantly vanishes as she regards both of the boys. It’s replaced with the light strumming of a harp and a warm glow lights up her eyes.

 

“I found you.”

 

It pains him to hear such a gentle song in a soundtrack of a tragedy. Well, maybe that’s a bit extreme.

 

One glance at Felix confirms he feels the same way too.

 

“Marinette-”

 

“It’s Bewitched,” she corrects, her soft expression never faltering.

 

“ _Bewitched_ ,” Luka says, “I’m sorry if we hurt you in any way-”

 

“You didn’t. Of course you didn’t. I know you two and Kagami, you would never try to hurt me.”

 

For a moment, Luka forgets the akuma form, and only sees Marinette. Marinette smiling through the pain she didn’t want to share. Marinette, whose heart’s song was full of record scratching and plucked guitar strings. Marinette, who only looked happy when she got news that she was going to China over break, and practically disappeared off the map.

 

“Mari-” Felix clears his throat, “Bewitched. Please tell us exactly what happened.”

 

Her lips curl inward, and she averts her gaze. “It doesn’t matter.”

 

“If it upset you, then it _does_ matter,” Felix argues, “Please, don’t push us away anymore.”

 

She shakes her head, averting her gaze. “It’s only a matter of time before I find Adrien. Make him see the error of his ways.” A pause before a smile creeps across her face and she has the courage to look at them again. “Once he’s dealt with, we’ll never have to worry again. I promise.”

 

It’s difficult to hide the hurt in his eyes, and upon seeing him, it seems Marinette is also hurt by it. Her words are supposed to be encouraging, calm like the ocean waves rolling onto the land, kissing sandy toes.

 

Of course, he knew it was the smart thing not to bring his guitar, but he wished he had it now. If she could only hear the sound her own heart was playing.

 

“Don’t look at me like that,” she quivers, as though she’s about to cry. “You know I care about you deeply. But I couldn’t ask you to take this on for me.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“It wouldn’t be fair.”

 

“So it’s more fair to pile all of that on yourself?” Felix asks.

 

“Please, we want to help,” Luka insists.

 

“You do?”

 

His nod is immediate, and from the way she melts regarding him, she knows that he’s being sincere and truthful. Slowly, she begins to move her hand from her side.

 

“There’s one way you can help.”

 

In a flash, he’s shoved hard out of the way and onto the ground. Looking up, he realizes what Felix just did.

 

And that he’s now glowing pink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we finally have Chloe's take on things, and it was actually pretty refreshing writing her again. I normally just write her for the way more lighthearted "Misadventures," but this was a nice change of pace.
> 
> Luka admittedly was a little harder to write. I imagine he thinks more in terms of sounds and onomatopoeia, but considering the circumstances, it didn't really make sense to explore that as much. Maybe in a more chill chapter? 
> 
> NEXT TIME: Alya makes an important realization and Bewitched finally faces off against all of the gathered heroes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's song: "Breathin" by Arianna Grande  
> (Author also suggests "True" by Marina Diamandis).

" _You remind me of a time when things weren't so complicated. All I need is to see your face." - Breathin, Ariana Grande_

-~-~-~-~-~-~

 

The only time she pushes herself to the point of complete physical exhaustion is when she’s trying to get a scoop for the Ladyblog. And in the year or so she’s been running the blog, Alya has managed to score amazing scoops aplenty. Sure, she threw herself in physical peril from time to time, probably more than she should have. And if Nora were to ever know just how much, she would never let her leave the house. But she always took comfort in the fact that all of her hard work paid off and cultivated in a successful but factual blog about her city’s hero.

 

As if that wasn’t enough, Alya also managed to juggle her blog with an acceptably active social life. Her boyfriend was not only an incredibly talented DJ (in her incredibly bias view), but also the superhero Carapace. While she didn’t care for fashion or celebrity life, she did think it was pretty cool to be friendly with well-known model Adrien Agreste, son of a famous fashion designer. And then there was Marinette, her clumsy, overworked friend who was head over heels for Adrien. But despite her failings, Marinette always meant through and could always be relied on to come through in the end.

 

Life was laid out to be perfect for the budding journalist.

 

In the past couple of weeks, Alya completely blew it.

 

Somehow, during that time, Alya managed to get on Marinette’s bad side, leaving her cursed and almost all alone at the school.

 

The key word was  _ almost _ . Anyone left in the building all shared the same red mark on the forehead as her. Everyone else had been familiarized and followed Marinette out to retrieve the miraculouses. In her state, she wanted to leave the building, find Ladybug and get her own miraculous to save her friend, but she had no idea where to even begin looking. The curse also made things more difficult, with the only relief she could take was knowing that it didn’t affect her thoughts. It was only when she spoke or attempted to make an important decision that it came into play.

 

So, that left her in the classroom, with only a couple of people to keep her company. Lila, still forced into telling the truth, and almost constantly choking over her words. Max, who caused electronics to explode any time he went near them, with Kim practically wailed at the sight of his 3DS short-circuiting. Speaking of whom, the athlete was cursed to move at the pace of a snail. Poor Rose was sobbing in the corner, about… well,  who knew at this point. She would cry at the drop of a dime.

 

The other corners were preoccupied by Mylene and Ivan, in what had to be the saddest case of being cursed. They were no longer acting the lovey-dovey couple they were well-known for being. Any time they tried to talk to each other, they would fall into constant arguing, and had to be kept apart because of how much it upset Rose. To be fair, Alya had to bite back some of her own tears upon hearing them say how much they detested each other.

 

There were a few attempts she made at starting conversation, or doing something proactive. “The akuma must be in her phone. Or maybe a present she got from Adrien?” “This wouldn’t have happened if she just agreed to date Adrien.” “The reason for her akumatization must be jealousy.”

 

Not only did she get hard glares from almost everyone left in the class, but she could occasionally feel the curse mark burn and sting. After a while, she had to keep her theorizing to herself.

 

She began by going back in time to when Lila first returned back to school. Or maybe even before that, when she first came. When everyone was hyping her up as this cool rich girl that had all sorts of celebrities on speed dial, including Ladybug. Marinette had been the only one that didn’t seem to like her, but Alya knew that it was just her jealousy of Adrien that created that tension. Even after her akumatization and brief withdrawal from school though, Marinette didn’t let up on the girl. Just how jealous could she be?

 

Her forehead stung yet again, and she winced. It subsided a bit, but there was a still a warm glow as she meditated on the events of Hero’s Day. Replaying the scene in her head, she thought about Marinette’s insistent fact-checking of Lila’s stories. Alya didn’t think much of it at the time. She was rich and the daughter of a diplomat, why would she lie about those sort of things? 

 

But then again, Chloe was rich and the daughter of the mayor, and Alya knew she lied from time to time. Just because Lila was nicer than Chloe, didn’t mean she was incapable of lying.

 

She bit her lip.

 

The curse mark emitted a gentle, warm glow, as if to indicate she was onto something.  _ Lila lying and being allowed to get away with it… yeah, Marinette would be upset about that. She hates liars _ .  _ But… is that enough to get her akumatized? Lila would have been lying for weeks at this point… _

 

She refocused her attention to the way things panned out with Adrien. Surely, Marinette had to be upset because she waited too long after he confessed, and he ended up dating Lila, right?

 

The harsh warmth returned. She clutched her forehead.

 

_ But that’s impossible! If she doesn’t like Lila, and she loves Adrien… what could be the issue then? _

 

Alya knew Marinette was utterly crushed when Adrien rejected her, especially since she hadn’t meant to confess her feelings; he only overheard her and Lila in a fierce conversation, and had to pull her aside to turn her down. So when he did come around (as Alya predicted), she was confused as to why Marinette would say no. And when she finally did get an explanation, Marinette was pretty vague about some of the details. She simply said,  _ “There’s been a misunderstanding. Things aren’t so simple between us right now. I’m sorry, but I can’t really talk about it.” _

 

_ She raised an eyebrow at this. “You’re just running away, aren’t you?” _

 

Alya didn’t give up on it though. She didn’t want to employ the tactic, but she might have slipped an idea to Adrien about making her jealous. He was all too eager to go along with it, but not so eager to fake date Lila. Still, he did it to try and get Marinette to come back around. It might have worked too, if it wasn’t timed so close to when Marinette left for China with her family.

 

The mark began to sizzle and she cringed, pressing her palm against it. 

 

_ Maybe Marinette wasn’t jealous of Lila, just upset with Adrien? _

 

The sizzling ceased.

 

The stunt with Lila must have upset her because she knew what Adrien was doing. She told Alya she just wanted some space to figure things out for herself. And when Adrien didn’t listen, she didn’t take it too well.

 

Now that she thought about it, Alya was doing the same thing to her too, wasn’t she?

 

She clutched her head in her hands.  _ I really messed up, didn’t I? _

 

With sudden clarity, Alya raced out of the classroom and into the streets, in search of Marinette.

 

She’s not going to mess up this time.

\--

Felix’s transformation is dramatically different in terms of style. Gone is his vest and white button up and slacks. His new outfit looks more leathery and...

 

He sort of looks like Chat Noir. He even looks at Marinette with the same love befitting of the cat hero, but she isn’t afraid to share the look back at him. There’s a fondness that she no longer holds for Adrien.

 

Luka wasn’t sure that he wanted to be there to see that, but if Adrien were to show up and see all of this, he would want to be far outside of the city. Or at least transformed, but he couldn’t risk letting Marinette know he had the snake kwami. He needed an escape, but how?

 

“So impatient,” Marinette clucks her tongue, lowering herself down in front of the newly familiarized Felix, stroking his chin, “You were next in line,  _ Chaton _ . Were you jealous? There’s no reason to be. I have love for you, Luka and Kagami. I want you to know that you are so dear to me, and for your kind words, I will place my trust in you.” 

 

Smiles were rare for Felix, and seeing one might have brought a smile to Luka’s face. Instead, watching him smile and lean his cheek into Marinette’s touch reminded him of a plucked guitar string - a piece missing from making a complete range of sound. 

 

Her gentle gaze turns away from Felix and back toward Luka. “It seemed I missed last time, but I won’t be this time.”

 

Just as she fires up the pink energy in her hand, Queen Bee, Chat Noir and Ryukōun land in front of them, prepared for attack. Her face hardens at the sight of the cat hero.

 

“M’lady, I’m here to save the day and make things right,” Chat Noir declares, “This time, I’ll show you that I’m the  _ purr- _ fect guy for you!”

 

The two girls look to each other and groan, and Luka can’t help but be sick. He’s heard bad lyrics in his life, but nothing will ever top  _ that _ . Marinette is the only one to look slightly inconvenienced by the whole ordeal. 

 

“I only need one thing from you Chat Noir,” she declares coolly, “And I think we all know by now what that is,” she turns to the familiarized Felix, “ _ Chaton _ , do me a favor and retrieve that imposter cat’s ring.”

 

Before Luka can react or really take in the scene, he feels a string wrap around him and pull him away from the fray. Somewhere, behind a building, Ryukōun regards him with a heavy look.

 

“I’d take the opportunity to transform if I were you,” she points out, “We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

 

“I’d rather not fight but…” Sass pops out of his pocket and gives him a gentle nod. “Give me just a sec. I’ll join you in a bit.”

 

\--

She returned to the battle, just in time to witness Queen Bee get knocked into Chat Noir. Unfortunately, Venom was activated and it grazes Chat, leaving him immobile. She tries to rush over and help out, but Felix cuts her off, taking off the ring and undoing Adrien’s transformation.

 

Marinette smirks, petting her familiar. “Very good,  _ Chaton _ . This creep will no longer be bothering us.”

 

Chloe’s transformation is about to wear off, and Kagami realizes the urgency of needing to get her out of the area. She has no doubt that Hawkmoth would be interested in obtaining more miraculouses for the sake of whatever plans he has in mind. And with the cat miraculous now in Felix’s hand, things are going to get messier.

 

She curses herself for thinking such a thing at the sight of Alya Cesaire running up to the group, clearly out of breath. Interestingly, the curse mark on her forehead is faint now, turning into more of a light pink color.

 

This catches Marinette’s attention.

 

“It seems you’ve come to realize your mistake, Alya,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest, “And would you care to explain what that is?”

 

The Ladyblogger is bent over, her hands on her knees as she’s trying to regain breath. Looking up to regard her friend, Alya says, “I’m sorry… I should have listened to you. I just thought I was doing what was best for you. But I realize… it was just about my own ego and what I wanted. I should have been a better friend.”

 

The symbol changes shape and is now a clearly more defined pink. At the sight of this, Marinette smirks.

 

“Very good. You shall be spared.”

 

A pink beam is fired in Alya’s direction. Content with the transformation, the newly made familiar takes a stance next to Felix.

 

They’re almost down two miraculous users already, and Marinette has an army of who knows how many familiars by this point. And now, she’s glaring down Adrien with the most wicked glare of the entire day.

 

She zaps him with a red beam. “Adrien Agreste. You invaded my privacy, my space, and ruined my happiness. And so, you shall be cursed so that no matter how long you chase, no matter how close you get, you will never be able to get me. Every time you try, you’ll only manage to set yourself back.”

 

Before Adrien can object, he poofs into thin air. And to make matters worse, Chloe’s transformation is entirely undone, leaving her defenseless. 

 

“Hey, what happened to Adrien?” Chloe demands.

 

“Nothing nefarious, I assure you,” Marinette sighs, looking rather bored with the exchange, “Despite what he’s done to me, I wouldn’t go that far. No, he’s somewhere in this city, far away enough from me. He won’t be hurting me again.”

 

Part of her feels unsympathetic toward the blonde. He pushed and pushed Marinette, and now he was finally getting what he deserved. She could understand Marinette’s motivations and actions in a way.

 

But the rational part of her knows that she can’t just leave Adrien all alone. Someone has to keep tabs on him, especially if he decides to do something rash.

 

“Get out of here,” Kagami says, catching Chloe with the yo-yo and spinning her off in another direction, “And go and find Adrien!”

 

The blonde huffs at the request, but wastes no time getting out of the area. That just leaves her with Marinette.

 

_ What is taking Luka so long? All he needs to do is transform and get out here! _

 

All of the ire and spite that plagued her dissipates. She only regards Kagami with a chilling warmth. Kagami wraps her fingers  around the yo-yo, prepared for anything Marinette has to throw at them.

 

“There’s no need for that,” Marinette insists, “I’m not going to hurt you. And with Adrien out of the way, our nightmares are quelled.” 

 

“Are you nightmares really quelled, Marinette?” Kagami asks, “You might think that because you cursed him and anyone else that hurt you. But that hurt in your heart? Everything you went through? Can you just forget about that?”

 

“Why would you say something like that? None of that stuff matters now.”

 

“That’s not true,” someone interrupts.

 

The newly created snake hero leaps over to them, his lyre out and at the ready. There’s a moment of silence as he and Marinette pass a look. Kagami can’t decide if she’s relieved that he’s finally on the scene or more on edge thinking about what’s about to happen.

 

“What are you doing?” she asks, regarding him with a frown. “I hope you don’t plan on fighting me.”

 

“I know I can’t fight you,” he answers quietly, “But I do wish to help you. Just listen,” he says, strumming the strings of the lyre, “And tell me what you hear.”

 

She frowns, preparing to fire at him. A flash of purple over eyes seems to be persuading her to do it, but she hesitates.

 

“Please,” he asks quietly, “If it hurts too much, you can do whatever you want to me in retaliation.”

 

Kagami is about to ask him if he’s out of his mind, but when she glances over to him, she sees that his expression remains firm and serious. She didn’t think an akuma attack like this would get her to see such different sides of him.

 

Marinette must have been thinking the same thing, because she lowers her hand, and the color in her hands fades out.

 

“Fine,” Marinette huffs, “I suppose I can grant that request.”

 

Gently, his fingers graze against the strings of the harp. His eyes are closed and he’s deep in though, and yet he doesn’t look the least bit worried. Almost as if there’s mutual assurance that she’s not going to do anything to her.

 

Kagami can only watch as Luka plays the harp, and Marinette starts singing along. At first, she feels like a bit of an intruder, a third party that wasn’t meant to hear this song. But then she remembers Felix, whose expression starts to soften, and his body relax. Kagami can’t help but place a hand over her heart as she allows the music to soothe her senses. 

 

When she looks up at the witch akuma, she can see that tears have started to dot her eyes, until she’s finally crying and her hands cover the rest of her face up.

 

“What have I done?” she sobs.

 

“It’s okay,” Luka insists, “We can fix this.”

 

Kagami dares to take a step closer to her. “Marinette, please, let us have the akuma.”

 

It takes her a moment to agree to it, as the flash of purple returns to argue against it, but Kagami thinks she hears a yes. Underneath the collar of the shirt, she unties a ribbon as she lowers herself to the ground. With a single tug, the akuma is out and about, and Kagami wastes no time cleansing it and casting the miraculous healing.

 

Marinette is still crying as her form falls. Nudging to a now free Felix to watch over her for a moment, Kagami and Luka make a quick escape in the chaos to allow their transformations to fall. She takes the earrings out before making her way back to Marinette, who is sobbing in Felix’s arms.

 

“I’m sorry,” she says in between breaths.

 

“It’s okay.  _ You’re  _ okay. Now, let’s get you home.”

\---

She stares at the ceiling of her bedroom for hours.

 

After the akumatization wore off, Marinette’s memory of events was a bit fuzzy. She remembers Felix, Kagami and Luka comforting her. Then nothing. Then having her parents’ arms wrapped around her. And then somehow being in her bedroom, the lights dimmed,

 

She couldn’t sleep. She needed to, so badly. But sleep would not overtake her.

 

Turning herself over to look over the bottom part of the room, her fingers curl over the edges of her diary.

 

So many words and thoughts in her mind. But none of them will easily translate to the page. And so she sinks deeper into the angry, bitter thoughts that overtook her. She isn’t going to catch a single wink of sleep that night, even as she tries to will herself into deep slumber.

 

All she can think about is how school is going to suck tomorrow.

 

Her phone, which had been charging on the shelf above her bed, flashes with some new messages on screen.

 

_ Luka: Just wanted to check and see if you were alright. If you’re up for it, would you like to hang out tomorrow? _

 

 _Kagami:_ _I hope you’re doing a bit better. Remember, you can always talk to me if something is bothering you. It will get better, and there are plenty of other people willing to talk with you, if you wish._

 

_ Felix: Please take care of yourself. I’m here to help with whatever you need. _

 

She lets out a deep breath. Alya might be more of a wild card in this scenario, but she at least had backup. Tomorrow was still going to suck.

 

But she wasn’t facing tomorrow, or Adrien, alone anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end of Act 2 of the Musical. There's an Act 3 that acts more like an epilogue and ties up some loose ends. I'm not sure if I'll get around to writing that, but I will definitely be writing an outline of the AU at some point, and that will be on my blog. And I realize that's not traditional of a musical, but oh well. It makes sense to me in this case.
> 
> Thanks to lenore for letting me write this in the first place! I had so much fun writing Bewitched that I decided to write some bonus headcanons after this chapter is published! That will also be on my blog for anyone who is curious (I'm xxxsaltybugxxx on tumblr).
> 
> Side note: I never talked about the name for Dragonbug!Kagami, Ryukōun. But roughy, Ryu = dragon and kōun = good luck in Japanese, so "Good Luck Dragon". If there are any other things that I missed, I'll make sure to answer them either on my blog or in the comments, so don't feel shy about asking.

**Author's Note:**

> A couple of things to note:
> 
> 1\. Marinette's outfit is based off the video for "Reason to Become a Witch" though changed to be a more appropriate version for a fourteen year old girl (hence the leggings under the shorts, the shorts being longer in length, etc). I thought it'd be fitting since that's the song she sings as her "villain" number. I added the witch hat on though since I thought it'd be cute. And yes, Marinette is wearing her hair down.
> 
> 2\. Some of the scenarios/dialogue in here were tweaked from the OG Nice Guy Adrien posts. Originally, Kagami was written as Kitsune, or Fox!Kagami, but for some reason, I thought it'd be cool to have her come in as Dragonbug. I guess I was thinking in my head that leading up to the reveal, Marinette would have used Dragonbug to confront the akuma since the situation was more desperate. 
> 
> 3\. The scenario as I've written it is Post-Chameleon, but ignores the rest of season 3. I guess you could say it's an alternate version of the season.
> 
> 4\. The name "Bewitched" comes from a couple of places. One, it's the name of the show that inspired the magical girl genre. The same genre that inspired Miraculous in the first place, so I thought it'd be a nice nod. Two, the meaning of the word "bewitch" is the same as to charm or enrapture someone. You can argue that Canon Mari is "bewitched" by Adrien after the umbrella scene, and that Nice Guy Adrien is bewitched by Marinette after the reveal. Three, Gina Dupain also has a witch themed akuma that starts with the same two first letters, so I thought it'd be nice to have some sort of family theme going on. Four, a bit of a stretch admittedly. But in Madoka Magica, another magical girl show, magical girls that fall into despair become witches, so it's a nod to that as well. And five, black cats are usually the familiars of witches, but in this case, this witch would be going up against a black cat hero. Oh, the irony.
> 
> 5\. The "cursed" subplot is more of a framing device so that we can have witch-themed akuma!Marinette. If I were doing a full version of this story, I'd spend a bit more time on it, but Lila isn't supposed to be a major player in this musical, believe it or not. She gets her own musical to cause chaos in. Still, it didn't feel appropriate to leave her out.
> 
> 6\. Il Malocchio, or "the evil eye" is actually a thing in Italian culture, but as you might expect, Lila distorted it in her plot against Marinette. As she briefly alludes to, Malocchio actually targets someone who is being envied, not the person doing the envying.


End file.
